ive done an m20 dupe with a t8 decker so cant see any problem with using them all the time or the busier runs

I was told the following by number of drivers:

M20 has to use the B15 coaches, to meet suitcase and luggage requirements, if the Deckers were used then trailers would be needed.

Between Perth - Inverness And Edinburgh - Newcastle is single road said vehcies are limited to 40mhps, ( ie with Trailers) meaning there not enough time of the route. Dups plus the B15 should give enough space to get away without using the trailers.

dont who how told u that the boot space in very big in the van hools, there shouldnt be a problem using van hool deckers on the m20.Ive been in edinburgh with 2 other dups so the decker are really usefuly

Fri Feb 03, 2012 6:28 pm

peanutbutter

Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2007 8:26 amPosts: 7727

Re: Why there is so little Coach sleepers?

But as I said if the deckers use a trailers, then that's where the problems start.

Also why does m11still use trailers?

Fri Feb 03, 2012 6:54 pm

Megabus

Joined: Fri Jul 03, 2009 7:23 pmPosts: 25

Re: Why there is so little Coach sleepers?

Whats the hassle with trailers ? They've been used on the M11 for ages, really only on the 1100 from Glasgow with no real problems.

The sleeper is a crackin service, seat and a bunk to yourself, Wi-Fi, tea / coffee , juice and different confectionary but most of all a direct service to London !!!

Vanhool deckers for the sleeper ??? how they gonna work that ? what sort of design would it have ?

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Fri Feb 03, 2012 10:43 pm

peanutbutter

Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2007 8:26 amPosts: 7727

Re: Why there is so little Coach sleepers?

I shall just repeat what I wrote.......

Quote:

M20:Between Perth - Inverness And Edinburgh -Newcastle is single road said vehcies are limited to 40mhps, ( ie with Trailers) meaning there not enough time of the route. Dups plus the B15 should give enough space to get away without using the trailers.

Van hol with trailers is cap at 40mph for good bit a run. Hence b15 are used, most night m20 is full and would benefit for deckers but there not enough space for all suitcase

However all that didn't answer my questions.. I know that bands use sleeper buses as this fit their requirements.. I know in Asia sleeper are commonly used for long transfers for public, but why there is no international service like this in EU? UK to Spain in bed? Dosen't that sounds great?

@ babyreecesdaddy

You have mentioned that service running on loss. What did you mean by this? Is this your opinion or you know it for fact?

Also can anyone tell me what is the estimate price of bus like this?

It is highly likely will be operating at a loss, at the end of the day you have 24 passengers and Megabus have stated to the press that fares on the sleeper are from £1 to £40.

I have put in a searchs of one single journey on the sleeperbus £30 for a single on February 15th, £35 for a single on March 15th, and £40 for a single on April 15th. Obviously these prices are yielded to demand. To travel on the evening of February 4th the fare for the sleeper is £35.

The basic economics just dont add up to great levels of profitability to me.

Say they manage to sell all 24 tickets at £40 thats £960 and that figure isnt possible every night as I have stated above the prices fluctuate due to demand, there will be times when they sell tickets for £40 and then ram the price down if it looks as if the journey will be quieter- ie the £30 fare quoted for February, so even to make the full £960 is quite optimistic. Of course closer to departure they could charge the full £40 if they know there is the demand or the £1 on a quieter night to just make sure the berth is filled and at least making £1 is £1 they didnt have before, but with Megabus these £1 fares are a miracle to find unless your booking months in advance.

£960 (on a good day of getting £40 out of every passenger)- so that has to cover 2 drivers wages-there will be a driver changeover at some point down south, possibly an attendant to deal with the passengers, vehicle operating costs (fuel, tax, tyres, oil, insurance, tachographs, refreshments, the complimentary evening pack) and then theres the depot costs, stance depature fees at Glasgow Buchannan, stance departure fees at London Victoria, maintenance at Glasgow or London. That will involve the tanking of the toilets, changing the sheets, changing the duvets, changing the pillows, emptying the toilets, topping up the water tanks for making tea and coffee, putting a new complimentary evening pack into each berth and all the other things to prepare the bus for a nights service. £960 to cover all of that seems to be a bit optimistic to say the least.

The fact that its operated by a fully depreciated in value Stagecoach Western bendybuses is probably the only thing working in its favour- its paid its costs and then some over the past decade of its life travelling between Fife and Ayrshire to Glasgow and the fact that Stagecoach will be using their own existing depots and staff for the day to day maintenance and operational requirements.

Stagecoach will never admit whether it is operating the sleeper at a loss, unless they withdraw it and cite its making a loss as a reason to its withdrawl. But it speaks volumes that on the same corridor National Express and First/Greyhound haven't copied the formula. Its much more profitable to cram lots of people in high capacity coaches in seated accomodation. A lot cheaper too, none of this complimentary evening packs, changing sheets and duvets to deal with either.

It may be profitable, but I just dont see how it can be.

Sat Feb 04, 2012 1:00 am

peanutbutter

Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2007 8:26 amPosts: 7727

Re: Why there is so little Coach sleepers?

This is why I thourght there was 24 seat passengers plus 24 sleep passengers.

This is why I thourght there was 24 seat passengers plus 24 sleep passengers.

Thats an additional waste, the trailer has 24 seats and most if not all of them will be empty on the way down, so the trailer end of the bendybus is effectively carrying fresh air.

Sat Feb 04, 2012 1:04 pm

Pedrinho

Joined: Wed Jan 25, 2012 3:46 pmPosts: 7

Re: Why there is so little Coach sleepers?

i guess that's is answer my question. Thanks a lot for all contributors!

Sat Feb 11, 2012 7:45 pm

pinnacle96

Joined: Thu May 26, 2011 3:09 pmPosts: 136

Re: Why there is so little Coach sleepers?

With regards to the M20 service, this service does run through Newcastle, all there drivers hand over to us, and we have been informed that a Decker Vanhooll will be brought to us for type training, however, there was no mention of trailer training, so Yes the M20 will have a decker vanhooll, the dupe I'm not sure on, we only run dupes sort of Fri / Sat / Sun / and early Mon, but I feel the reason more decker vanhoolls are being brought onto the network is because we can lower the amount of private operated dupes, thus lowering cost's.

Sun Feb 12, 2012 8:17 am

Route 66

Joined: Mon Jun 04, 2007 10:54 amPosts: 3945Location: East Kilbride

Re: Why there is so little Coach sleepers?

Speaking of dupes, does the Glasgow Megabus overnighter have a dupe every night?

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Sun Feb 12, 2012 4:12 pm

peanutbutter

Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2007 8:26 amPosts: 7727

Re: Why there is so little Coach sleepers?

pinnacle96 wrote:

With regards to the M20 service, this service does run through Newcastle, all there drivers hand over to us, and we have been informed that a Decker Vanhooll will be brought to us for type training, however, there was no mention of trailer training, so Yes the M20 will have a decker vanhooll, the dupe I'm not sure on, we only run dupes sort of Fri / Sat / Sun / and early Mon, but I feel the reason more decker vanhoolls are being brought onto the network is because we can lower the amount of private operated dupes, thus lowering cost's.

Strange as most of the time the dups are worked by Scottish Citylink etc. Of course Vanhools with no trallier will be fine for the route, I cant see the dup getting killed off all together

Route 66 wrote:

Speaking of dupes, does the Glasgow Megabus overnighter have a dupe every night?

from what I was told its only Friday and Sunday nights that have dups on it?

Sun Feb 12, 2012 4:16 pm

madeddie

Joined: Sat Sep 05, 2009 11:08 amPosts: 33

Re: Why there is so little Coach sleepers?

Route 66 wrote:

Speaking of dupes, does the Glasgow Megabus overnighter have a dupe every night?

only if they have alot booked on but in the summer we do alot of dupe the company a drive for dose alot of citylink/megabus work

STAGECOACH chief executive Sir Brian Souter is to start running double-decker Megabus sleeper coaches from a number of Scottish cities to London within the next year after a pilot service sold out most nights of the week.

A 24-bed single-decker sleeper bus started operating on the Glasgow to London route in September.

Early designs suggest this will have 48 seats and tables for use during the day, which convert into 43 bunks on night services.

The coaches, each of which is likely to cost around £400,000, will be introduced first to Scotland. They will be rolled out to its new cross-channel service if a trial of a seated coach service to the continent, which launched yesterday, is a success.

Sir Brian told The Herald: "We will test the new coaches in Scotland. We already know we can sell 24 seats a night."

Operating with 24 beds only allows Stagecoach to break even and Sir Brian said it always intended to bring in more lucrative double-deckers if the service proved popular.

Megabus's first cross-channel European services left London yesterday morning at 9.30am.

Wed Apr 18, 2012 4:54 am

Route 66

Joined: Mon Jun 04, 2007 10:54 amPosts: 3945Location: East Kilbride

Re: Why there is so little Coach sleepers?

Well thats a bit of good news . Ive yet to try the sleeper and hope to do so . Id like to see a sleeper to SW England as Nat Ex are expensive on that run.

_________________The Punter in the Know

'dae ye go tae the tap of the toon Central SMT?'.

Wed Apr 18, 2012 8:42 pm

peanutbutter

Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2007 8:26 amPosts: 7727

Re: Why there is so little Coach sleepers?

Route 66 wrote:

Well thats a bit of good news . Ive yet to try the sleeper and hope to do so . Id like to see a sleeper to SW England as Nat Ex are expensive on that run.

Megebus do operate a route to SW like Cornwall and plymouth from Newcastle.

Wed Apr 18, 2012 8:44 pm

Route 66

Joined: Mon Jun 04, 2007 10:54 amPosts: 3945Location: East Kilbride

Re: Why there is so little Coach sleepers?

Would be cool from Glasgow , Why o why does National Express not have a timetable for the 537 , 534 , 539 , 532 and 336 online or in paper ?

_________________The Punter in the Know

'dae ye go tae the tap of the toon Central SMT?'.

Wed Apr 18, 2012 8:47 pm

peanutbutter

Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2007 8:26 amPosts: 7727

Re: Why there is so little Coach sleepers?

Route 66 wrote:

Would be cool from Glasgow , Why o why does National Express not have a timetable for the 537 , 534 , 539 , 532 and 336 online or in paper ?

I believe it might be possible to make a connection somewhere,

I have to ask where do the 537 , 534 , 539 , 532 and 336 operate?

Wed Apr 18, 2012 8:56 pm

Route 66

Joined: Mon Jun 04, 2007 10:54 amPosts: 3945Location: East Kilbride

Re: Why there is so little Coach sleepers?

336 is Edinburgh to Plymouth via Glasgow537 is Glasgow to Corby539 is Glasgow to Bournemouth532 is Edinburgh to Bristol534 is Glasgow to Hull

_________________The Punter in the Know

'dae ye go tae the tap of the toon Central SMT?'.

Wed Apr 18, 2012 9:10 pm

peanutbutter

Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2007 8:26 amPosts: 7727

Re: Why there is so little Coach sleepers?

cheers. I would suggest asking them direct!

Wed Apr 18, 2012 10:11 pm

Route 66

Joined: Mon Jun 04, 2007 10:54 amPosts: 3945Location: East Kilbride

Re: Why there is so little Coach sleepers?

well ive just booked the megabus sleeper for a £1 for June . Now waiting for megabus to release the European tickets.

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